Dispenser for generally cylindrical objects



June 6, 1967 A. H. EALLER BBZEfi'FQ DISPENSER FOR GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL OBJECTS Filed Oct. 22, 1965 e35 INVENTOR ALBERT H. EALLER E-W A m X ATTQRNEY United States Patent h 3,323,679 Patented June 6, 1967 lice This invention relates to a dispenser for elongated and generally cylindrical articles. It is very simple and practical, and is specifically adapted for the dispensing of soda straws, even of different diameters, and those which are damaged, bowed, frayed, etc. However, the dispenser also operates on other generally cylindrical objects which may be heavier than soda straws as for instance pencils, cigars, cigarettes and in general any article which is generally cylindrical, hexagonal, etc.

Many attempts have been made to provide dispensers for similar articles in the past but they have all been impractical because they do not provide for the dispensing of damaged or bowed articles and they do not pr0- vide adjustments for the dispensing of articles of different diameters. This problem is solved in the present case by the use of a backstop or barrier which is free to move generally in any direction lying in a plane at right angles to the axes of the articles being dispensed, and it acts as a controller to cause dispensing of the articles one at a time only. Because of thi construction, the device is extremely versatile, easy to adjust and smooth in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation vention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating the action of the new dispenser; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through the rear wall of the hopper showing a modified adjustment.

in order to illustrate the invention the same has been shown as mainly contained in an open top box which has end walls 1d and 12, a front wall Ml, and a rear wall The front and rear walls both terminate above the lowermost extent of the side walls 16} and 12 as shown at and 2 d and the opening at 2th is the exit opening for the articles to be dispensed, whereas they are inserted in the container from the open top thereof indicated at 22 in FIG. 3.

There is a fixed floor or chute 24 which is disposed to extend from the rear wall 16 forwardly terminating in a drop-off ledge and this floor or chute is positioned at an angle extending down from the rear wall 36 toward the front. Articles rolling down from this chute will appear in the opening ill and be discharged.

There is a movable fioor generally indicated at 26 and this is mounted to pivot on a longitudinal axis through any kind of pins 28. It is provided with a fingerpiece or treadl-e fill which extends out through an opening 32 in front wall It has a free rear edge portion generally indicated at 3 which extends sharply downwardly at an angle with respect to the main body portion thereof and normally rests on the floor 2 5, as in FIG. 3. It will be clear that when the treadle 362 is moved downwardly, the free rear edge portion of the movable door at 34 will move upwardly. As shown in FIG. 3, the normal position of the movable floor 26 is such as to completely block off articles within the dispenser from escaping therefrom, but when the treadle 3t) is moved downwardly and the end 3d upwardly, then it will be seen that anyaccompanying drawings showing the inthing in the dispenser would be allowed to escape if it was of the right size. When the movable floor 26 is at rest as in FIG. 3, it slants downwardly from the front wall toward the rear so that articles will tend to move toward the junction of the movable floor 26 and th fixed chute 24.

There is provided a new and improved barrier generally indicated by the reference character 36. As shown this is in the form of a hollow cylinder having open ends with means extending into said open ends to support this cylindrical barrier. The means holding the barrier 36 include in this case a pair of inwardly directed fingers 33, 33 mounted on a plate 4t} and spaced therefrom so as to hold the cylindrical barrier as spaced slightly outwardly from the interior surface of the rear wall 16.

Plate 40 is vertically adjustable so that the barrier 36 can be adjusted to accommodate articles of various diameters. The barrier is much shorter than the container for a reason to be described. The plate as may be provided with a fixed nut 42 and the back 16 with a fixed bearing for a screw 44 that is rotatable as by a fingerpiece t6. Screw 44 meshes with the nut and upon being rotated, moves the plate 4d and barrier 36 up or down.

The articles to be dispensed will be in the general position as shown in FIG. 4 wherein the barrier is at rest. The free edge of the movable floor rests on the fixed floor substantially as shown. When the treadle is pushed down, the free end edge of the movable floor moves up. This pushes the lowermost article A toward the rear and article B is thrust upward and backward, see the arrows in FIG. 4. The barrier 36 acts as a splitter, and separates article A from article B, see FIG. 5. The line of force of the edge of the floor 26 is just between articles A and B.

When the extreme edge of the portion 34 of the movable floor clears the first article A, it rolls down the chute, but the pressure of the barrier, simply by gravity, prevents the next article from descending, until the extreme edge of portion 34 once more reaches the chute. Then there is enough space between the barrier 36 and the edge of the movable floor to allow article B to assume the FIG. 4 position of now dispensed article A.

By making the barrier 36 relatively short and centrally located in the dispenser as shown clearly in FIG. 2, the straws or other articles being dispensed may be bowed or frayed or damaged, but they will still slip past the barrier in the way described above. Were the barrier to be substantially the length of the container of the dispenser, it would then be clear that the bowed ends would be caught and other frayed parts arrested in some cases by the barrier, so that the device would fail to work from time to time.

The present device being open-topped is easily supplied with articles, and straws for instance may be deposited therein without being touched by the hands simply by the provision of a container with a tear strip. The operator can hold the container in one hand, remove the tear strip, and then turn the now open package upside down, dropping the straws or other articles into the open top of the box.

Also these containers may assume many forms such as for instance a cardboard box; a paper or plastic cylinder with ends which can be removed and a. tear strip for the rest of the length thereof; or even a plastic bag of a well known kind which however may be provided again with a tear strip; or the straws or other articles can be dumped out through the opening of the bag, all without touching the same with the hands.

It will therefore be seen that this dispenser is very sanitary. All of the articles to be dispensed by sterilely packaged, etc. and need never be touched by the hands in order to operate the device.

Since articles of the type which are to be dispensed often come in different sizes, i.e., diameters, the adjustment aforesaid has been provided. Ordinarily an initial article will be placed in the container and the barrier, if it needs adjustment, can then be adjusted so that this initial article clears it and rests on the inclined chute. It has been found that this particular construction allows for considerable latitude so that the articles to be dispensed need not just clear the barrier but it may have a substantial spacing therefrom and still operate in the manner described. Therefore in some cases articles even of somewhat different diameters may be dispensed on a single setting. However straws come in different sizes from extremely small to extremely large ones, and this particular dispenser easily dispenses all sizes on a single adjustment afforded by turning the screw 44.

Holders 50 on the floor 24 may be used to receive the individual articles so that they can be centrally grasped in a convenient manner, and also a downwardly inclined fender 52 of general U shape or the like can be mounted as shown above the edge of the floor 26 to support a great number of articles to prevent crowding the operative parts, i.e., the movable floor and the barrier. This fender is not normally necessary but in cases where the articles are heavy or especially soft, it prevents malfunction of the barrier. The fender can be mounted on the plate 46 to be adjusted with it, or it can be directly mounted on a wall of the enclosure.

In FIG. 6 there is shown a modified adjustment construction for the barrier 36 wherein the rear wall of the hopper is indicated at 60 and the plate carrying the barrier is indicated at 62. The wall has a narrow vertical slot 64- passing through which extends a bolt or screw 65 passing through a plate 68 at the rear of the wall 6% and threaded into plate 62. An additional pin 7t) can be used extending between the plates and maintaining them upright.

A horizontal fixed shelf 72 preferably tilted up slightly, supports article '74 parallel to the articles in the hopper, and acts as a gauge by which to set plate (98 and thereby the barrier 35, through plate 62, to the correct vertical position for the diameter of the articles to be dispensed.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A dispenser for generally cylindrical relatively elongated discrete articles comprising a hopper in which the articles may be assembled in general parallel piled-up relation, a substantially fixed floor member extending forwardly from the rear portion of said hopper on a downward incline, a movably mounted floor in the hopper having a free end edge adapted to closely approach the aforesaid fixed floor,

and a movable barrier located just above the fixed floor at the rear portion of the hopper adjacent the point of contact between the free end edge of the movable floor and the fixed floor, said movable barrier being generally elongated and positioned generally parallel to the fixed floor, means supporting said barrier so that it is generally free to move in a plurality of directions with respect to the plane of the fixed floor,

certain of said articles contacting said barrier at the free end edge of said movable fioor, the space between the barrier and the free end of the movable floor providing a passageway for the articles a one-by-one movement from the hopper to the inclined fixed floor when the free end edge of the movable floor is moved away from the fixed floor, the remaining articles being held by said barrier and the free end edge of said movable floor against escape therebetween until said movable floor has been allowed to return to its position adjacent the fixed floor and is once more raised.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said barrier is substantially shorter than the hopper.

The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said bar ier is substantially shorter than the hopper and is located generally centrally with regard thereto.

The dispenser of claims 1 wherein said barrier comprises a generally elongated cylindrical member.

5. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said barrier comprises a generally hollow elongated cylindrical member.

6. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said means supporting said the barrier retain the barrier above and in a spaced relation to said fixed floor, and means for adjusting said barrier supporting means to raise or lower the same relative to the floor to accommodate larger or smaller articles to be dispensed.

7. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein said barrier comprises a hollow cylinder.

The dispenser of claim ti wherein said barrier comprises a hollow cylinder, and the barrier supporting means including a member entering the cylinder from the end thereof.

9. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein the said barrier comprises a hollow cylinder and the barrier supporting means including a vertically movable plate and means on the plate loosely engaging the cylinder.

it}. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein said barrier comprises a hollow cylinder and the barrier supporting means including a vertically movable plate and means on the plate loosely engaging the cylinder having open ends, the last-named means including a member entering the cylinder at the ends thereof and having a thickness sub stantially less than the interior diameter of the cylinder.

11. The dispenser of claim 1 including means to support certain of the articles in the hopper above the barrier to avoid crowding or excess weight on the barrier.

12. The dispenser of claim 1 including means to support certain of the articles in the hopper above the barrier to avoid crowding or excess weight on the barrier, the lastnamed means extending downwardly from the rear toward the front of the hopper and terminating short of the front of the hopper.

13. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein said adjusting means includes a member on the rear wall of the hopper means connecting said member and said barrier supporting means to move the latter by the number, and a gauge element on the rear wall of the hopper to indicate the degree of adjustment of the barrier by means of the space between the gauge element and the member on the rear wall of the hopper.

1 5-. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein said adjusting 162 .113 includes a member on the rear wall of the hopper and including means connecting said last-named means and said barrier supporting means to move the latter thereby, and a gauge on the rear wall of the hopper to indicate the degree of adjustment of the barrier, there being a slot in the rear wall of the hopper and said lastnamed means extending therethrough, said slot being elongated and generally vertical, the barrier supporting means being movable from the rear of the rear wall of the hopper along the slot.

15. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein said adjusting means includes a member on the rear wall of the hopper and including means connecting said last-named means and said barrier supporting means to move the latter thereby, and a gauge on the rear wall of the hopper to indicate the degree of adjustment of the barrier, the gauge including a support for one of the articles of the size to be dispensed, the means at the rear of the rear wall of the hopper being gauged in its adjusted position by said article.

16. A dispenser for discrete articles comprising a hopper in which the articles may be assembled in pile-up relation, a fixed fioor member extending forwardly from the rear portion of said hopper on a downward incline, a movably mounted floor mounted above the fixed floor 5 6 and having a free end edge adapted to closely approach the therebetween until said movable floor has been alaforesaid fixed floor, lowed to return to its position adjacent the fixed and a barrier located just above the fixed floor at the floor and is once more raised.

rear portion of the hopper adjacent the point of contact between the free end edge of the movable 5 References Cited floor and the fixed floor, said barrier being gener- UNITED STATES PATENTS ally free to move in a plurality of directlons with respect to the plane of the fixed floor, 707,062 8/1902 Heineman 221-200 certain of said articles contacting said barrier at the 1,614,060 1/ 19217 Danubio 221-95 free end edge of said movable floor, the space he 10 1,901,002 3/ 1933 Ross 222-406 XR tween the barrier and the free end of the movable 2,702,145 2/1955 Paulas 221-250 XR floor providing a passageway for the articles in a 2,819,819 1/1958 Warren 221250 X one-by-one movement from the hopper to the in- 3,130,864 4/1964 Trapp 221-125 'clined fixed floor when the free end edge of the mov- 3,136,451 6/ 1964 Deane 221-241 able floor is moved away from the fixed floor, the re- 15 3,175,669 3/1965 Garvin 221-195 X maining articles being held by said barrier and the free end edge of said movable floor against escape WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSER FOR GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL RELATIVELY ELONGATED DISCRETE ARTICLES COMPRISING A HOPPER IN WHICH THE ARTICLES MAY BE ASSEMBLED IN GENERAL PARALLEL PILED-UP RELATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED FLOOR MEMBER EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM THE REAR PORTION OF SAID HOPPER ON A DOWNWARD INCLINE, A MOVABLY MOUNTED FLOOR IN THE HOPPER HAVING A FREE END EDGE ADAPTED TO CLOSELY APPROACH THE AFORESAID FIXED FLOOR, AND A MOVABLE BARRIER LOCATED JUST ABOVE THE FIXED FLOOR AT THE REAR PORTION OF THE HOPPER ADJACENT THE JOINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE FREE END EDGE OF THE MOVABLE FLOOR AND THE FIXED FLOOR, SAID MOVABLE BARRIER BEING GENERALLY ELONGATED AND POSITIONED GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE FIXED FLOOR, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID BARRIER SO THAT IT IS GENERALLY FREE TO MOVE IN A PLURALITY OF DIRECTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE PLANE OF THE FIXED FLOOR, CERTAIN OF SAID ARTICLES CONTACTING SAID BARRIER AT THE 